For example, the connector shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,247,316) has been known in the past as an electrical connector used to terminate a conductive member consisting of a foil-form metal sheet.
As is shown in FIG. 7, electrical connector 100 has two facing plate parts 101 and 102 that are connected at one end; these plate parts are formed by punching out and bending a metal plate. Teeth 104 and teeth 105 that face the teeth 104 are formed on the upper and lower plate parts 101 and 102 so that the teeth extend toward each other. The teeth 104 and teeth 105 are alternately disposed in two rows on the upper and lower plate parts 101 and 102.
In FIG. 8, a conductive member 110 consisting of a foil-form metal sheet is inserted between the upper and lower plate parts 101,102 of the electrical connector 100. As is shown in FIG. 9, the upper and lower plate parts 101,102 are pressed together, so that teeth 104 pierce the conductive member 110, and so that teeth 105 pass through the conductive member, thus terminating the conductive member 110 in the electrical connector 100. Teeth 105 of each plate part also pass through holes 106 defined through the other plate part at teeth 104 thereof, whereafter ends of teeth 105 are flattened and are bent over portions of the conductor member also extruded through holes 106. In FIGS. 7 to 9, 103 indicates an electrical wire connecting part that is used for a crimped connection of an electrical wire 120.
However, in this conventional electrical connector 100, when the conductive member 110 is terminated in the electrical connector 100 and teeth 104 are caused to pierce the conductive member 110, and teeth 105 are caused to pass through the conductive member, the following problem arises: i.e., the connecting portions of the conductive member 110 that connect with the teeth 104 and 105 are structurally weak, so that contact of the electrical connector 100 with the conductive member 110 is unstable.